Good supply chains save lives

The CIPS Foundation is now supporting three projects where procurement and supply chain best practice can make a real difference – and it is planning to do more.

Ethical and sustainable supply chains are fundamental to many of the global issues faced today, and creating these is one of the best ways that the Foundation can support charitable activity.

The Foundation’s remit was to improve lives and communities in economic or social need by sharing procurement and supply education and training. By providing bursaries supporting individuals to study, it has already been successful. But there was a desire to have a bigger reach and a more significant effect.

“When we discussed with experts from the philanthropic world what we could do that would have the greatest impact, they advised us to work with organisations that have a proven track record and infrastructure,” says Fabienne Lesbros, chair of the committee of the CIPS Foundation, a charity in its own right, which was set up in 2012 and is connected to CIPS.

Following consultation about how best to fulfil its intentions and achievements, the Foundation is now focused on supporting best practice across charities worldwide, with aims linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, explains Lesbros. “Our vision is still to connect and improve people’s lives through better supply chains and educate them about creating better supply chains,” she says.

The Foundation will support charity projects where the activities and outputs achieve impact through procurement and supply best practice.

“We do participate in the funding,” Lesbros adds. “But this is not just about the finance – it is about working with organisations, supporting CIPS to deliver its public benefit agenda, global multi-level impact and community engagement.”

Based on UN development goals

The projects must work towards: no poverty; good health and wellbeing; gender equality; decent work and economic growth; and reducing inequality.

And while searching for suitable organisations, it was soon clear that many were already working towards improving conditions through the supply chain. “It is exciting to start working with them,” says Lesbros.

The Foundation has already begun work with ActionAid UK to support programmes in Bangladesh helping female workers in garment supply chains, educating them about their rights, improving the business owner’s awareness of rights and ethics.

And in Zimbabwe the Foundation will support the charity’s work to help farmers comply with industry regulations, improve negotiation powers and develop local innovative solutions. Womanity India (pictured above) supports a number of social ventures that empower and improve the lives of women through grassroots training and sustainable supply chains.

The Foundation is actively looking for other projects to support in order to maintain a good global balance.